IDF’s new commando brigade has first exercise

The IDF’s new commando brigade completed its first exercise last week, just a month after it was officially created.

Throughout the four-day exercise, named “Night of the Bridges,” the soldiers trained in both the country’s north and south. It was the first exercise for the brigade, which was officially formed in late December.

The new brigade, officially known as Brigade Oz, is under the command of Col. David Zini, a veteran of the famed Sayeret Matkal special forces unit, and will be part of Central Command’s 98th Division.

“We carried out nearly four continuous days of operational activities,” Brig. Gen. Uri Gordin, commander of the 98th Division, said at the end of the exercise.

“We have here a highly flexible operational force, and soldiers who move in both small and large numbers — sometimes two or three units at once, which is a significant force,” Gordin said.

The brigade brought together four commando units — Rimon, Egoz, Maglan and Duvdevan — under one tent, as part of the IDF’s ongoing streamlining process.

“The central piece of weaponry in the brigade is the people. We have terrific people who know how to carry out missions in an impressive way,” Gordin said.